Railway car construction



United States Patent [72] Inventor Marvin Stark Michigan City, Indiana [21] App]. No. 631,401 [22] Filed April 17, 1967 [45] Patented Sept. 8, 1970 [73] Assignee Pullman Incorporated Chicago, Illinois a corporation of Delaware [54] RAILWAY CAR CONSTRUCTION 5 Claims, 8 Drawing Figs.

[52] U.S. Cl 105/404, 105/413,105/416 [51] Int. Cl B61f 1/02, B6lf 1/08 [50] Field of Search 105/404, 3683, 414, 416, 418, 419, 422

[56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 3,207,086 9/1965 Larssen et al 105/422 Primary Exaniiner-Arthur L. La Point Assistant Examiner-Richard A. Bertsch A!l0rneyS- Hilmond O. Vogel and Wayne Morris Russell ABSTRACT: A railway car of the bulkhead flat deck type including an underframe having a center sill of generally fishbelly contour and having bolsters and crossbearers extending transversely from the center sill. The crossbearers are each of substantially identical structure and spaced lengthwise of the car and relative to each other in a manner resulting in distributing the stresses uniformly lengthwise of the vehicle. Fixed to the ends of the crossbearers are side sills and attached directly on the crossbearers and to the side sills is a floor formed from sheet metal. Fixed adjacent to the ends of the vehicle are bulkheads. Mounted on the floor overlying the side sills are cargo supporting structures for retaining lumber or the like spaced above and adjacent the side sills.

I I a I ;,.36

3'3 so' 26 eo I of 2 Sheet INVENTOR MARVIN S TARK ATT'Y.

Patented Sept. 8, 1970 Sheet ATT'Y RAILWAY CAR CONSTRUCTION BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION Heretofore bulkhead flat deck cars of the type forming the basis for the present invention have been constructed so that the floor structure is supported on lengthwise extending stringers and the like which are fixed to the crossbearers, cross ties and bolsters. This type of construction materially increases the weight of the vehicle so that the load carrying capacity is reduced. Moreover, the prior vehicle structures have required complex welding and tooling procedures resulting in increased manufacturing costs.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION By the present invention there is provided a lightweight flat car of the bulkhead type which is constructed and arranged so as to be of minimum weight and minimum cost. To this end the car construction is substantially monolithic and includes a center sill which is formed of a minimum mass by the provision ofa section modulus which produces a maximum stiffness with a minimum weight.

The floor support structure is supported on the crossbearers and the usual stringers are eliminated. The vehicle includes only crossbearers which are of substantially identical structure and are spaced in a manner such that the stress imposed on the vehicle is substantially distributed lengthwise between the bolsters thereof. To achieve the uniform distribution stress, the crossbearers are spaced within practical limitations, substantially equally lengthwise ofthe vehicle.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. I is a side elevational view of a flat car of the bulkhead type incorporating the structure ofthe present invention.

FIG. 2 is a fragmentary top plan view of the underframe of the railway vehicle, the flooring omitted.

FIG. 3 is a cross sectional view taken generally along the lines 3-3 of FIG. I and showing the structure of the transitional section ofthe center sill ofthe railway vehicle.

FIG. 4 is a cross sectional view taken generally along the lines of 4-4 of FIG. 1 and showing in particular the attaclirnent of the crossbearers at the transitional sections of the center sill.

FIG. 5 is a cross sectional view taken generally along the lines 5-5 of FIG. I and showing in particular the typical attaehment of the crossbearers at the fish-belly portion of the center sill.

FIGS. 6, '7 and 8 are fragmentary transverse views of the crossbearer fixed to the side sill and showing in particular the different types of cargo supporting structure mounted thereon.

Referring now to the drawings, there is shown a flat deck railway vehicle of the bulkhead type which is particularly suitable for carrying uniformly distributed loads in the form of pulpwood or the like lengthwise thereof. The vehicle 10 com prises generally an underframe 11 including a center sill 12 to the respective ends of which there is fixed the usual couplers (not shown). Extending from the center sill 12 are bolsters 13 and spaced lengthwise therefrom and from each other are a plurality of crossbearers 14. Fixed to the outboard ends of the crossbearers 14 are transversely spaced side sills 16 extending lengthwise of the vehicle and supporting and fixed directly on the crossbearers l4 and bolsters 13 there is a floor 17 formed from metal sheets connecting the respective outboard ends of the side sills l4 and an end sill 18. Fixed inwardly of the respective end sills are bulkheads 19 which are adapted to provide an end barrier for the lumber or the cargo to be carried on the floor 17.

The center sill 12 includes a fish-belly section 190, transitional sections 21, and end sections 22 and is constructed so as to provide a maximum stiffness with a minimum weight. The center sill sections 19,21 and 22 each includes a pair oftransversely spaced side webs 23 to the upper ends of which there is fixed a top cap or cover plate 24 and to the lower ends of which there is fixed a plate 26 or cap of greater width than the cover top plate 24. The cross sectional top and bottom plate areas and the height of the side webs 23 in each of the sections 19, 21 and 22 provide a section modulus having the requisite stiffness. In this connection it is to be noted that the bottom plate 26 in the fish-belly section is of lesser thickness than the bottom plate 26a. The bottom plates 26 and 26a are spliced at the transitional and end sections 21 and 22 as shown in FIG. 3 by a splice plate 28 and a vertically disposed kicker plate extending transversely between the side webs 23-23.

To provide a substantially monolithic structure in which the stresses imposed by the load are evenly distributed lengthwise of the car, the crossbearers 14 are each of substantially identical structure and are the sole transverse support other than the bolsters 13 spaced inwardly from the ends of the center sill 12. The bolsters 13 may be formed in accordance with standard fabricated structures. As shown, the crossbearers 14 are formed from a sheet plate having a vertical web 30 and a lower horizontally projecting leg 31. At the upper edge, the vertical web is cut out to accommodate the overhanging ledge 24a of the top cover plate 24 at one end thereof and at its other end, a horizontal leg 32 of the side sill 16, which is formed from a channel. Along the end sections of the vehicle 10 a stiffening plate 35 may be fixed to the underside ofthe leg 34.

The crossbearers 14 each are attached to the respective side webs 23 at their inner vertical edge by way of welding or the like and at their outer edge to a vertical web 33 of the channel side sill 16. Extending between the side webs 23-23 of the center sill 12 and the aligned vertical webs 33 of the crossbearers is a spreader member 34 which may be in the form ofa channel having a vertical web 36 and a horizontal upper leg 37 adjacent the top cover plate and a lower horizontal leg 38 in alignment with the crossbearer legs 31.

As shown, the crossbearers 14 are substantially equally spaced lengthwise of the intermediate fish-belly section 19. In the transitional section 21 the crossbearers 14, while also being equally spaced from each other, may be of lesser spacing than the spacing between the crossbearers 14 in the intermediate section 19 because of clearance requirements with the turning radius of the wheels 39 on which the underfrarne 12 is mounted. However, the spacing of crossbearers 14 in the transitional section 21 is arranged so as to approximate as closely as possible the spacing in the intermediate section. The spacing between the crossbearers 14 is such that the stresses imposed by the load are equally distributed lengthwise of the vehicle 10 and any two adjacent crossbearers are capable of assuming a lengthwise load of 25,000 pounds.

As shown in FIG. 5, the crossbearers 14, located in the intermediate section 19 of the underframe, each have fixed to the lower ends and adjacent the side webs a stabilizer plate 41. The stabilizer plate 41 is in the form of an angle having a vertical transversely extending web 42 of which the free vertical edge abuts against and is fixed to the center sill side web 23 and a longitudinally extending web or leg 43. The stabilizer plate 41 is of substantially the same width as the projecting ledge 30 and the lower edge of the latter is fixed thereto. The crossbearer 14, adjacent the respective transitional sections 21 and the end sections 22, as shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, is fixed tothe projecting ledge of the bottom cover plate 26a by means of an angle member 44 having a horizontal leg 46 which underlies and is fixed to the horizontal leg 31 of the crossbearer 14. A vertical leg 47 of the angle member 44 is fixed at the free end thereof to the bottom cover plate 26a along the ledge 30a.

Disposed adjacent the inboard side of the bolster 13 is a floor beam 48 which may be of I-section and supports the floor thereon. The floor 17 is formed of metal plates and extends lengthwise of the vehicle between the bulkheads l8, and is directly supported and fixed to the upper edges of crossbearers 14. If necessary, a splicing plate, not shown, may be used at the center one of the crossbearers 14. The splice plate may be fixed to the upper edge of the central crossbearer 14.

The floor sheet plates are preferably of a width to span the side sills l6 and are fixed thereto along the edges.

The bulkheads at the ends of the vehicle 10 may be of more or less conventional structure and are fixed to the underframe at the center sill 12 and side sills 16.

For adapting the vehicle for use in the transporting of pulpwood which is normally carried in log lengths extending transversely of the vehicle, there are provided side supports 51 which serve to maintain the logs spaced above the floor 17 to facilitate the loading and unloading by way of lifts or cranes. The side supports 51 may take the forms shown in FIGS. 6, 7, and 8. In FIG. 6 the side support comprises an angle 52 having right angularly disposed legs 53 and 54. The angle is disposed along the side sill 16 so that the legs 54 are inclined, as shown,

and the free end of the leg 54 tests and is fixed on the top side sill flange 32 in abutting relationship with the edge of the floor plate 17. The other leg 53 is fixed to the floor plate 17 inboard of the side sill 16.

In the form shown in H0. 7 the side member 51 includes a vertical leg 56 which is fixed to the top flange 34 adjacent the edge of the floor plate 17. lntegrally extending from the upper edge of the vertical leg 56 is an inclined leg 57 which is fixed at the free end thereof to the floor plate 17.

FIG. 8 illustrates a further form of side member 51 comprising a wooden block having a downwardly inclined inboard face 59 extending from a top horizontal face 61. The block 58 is secured to the floor plate 17 as by lengthwise spaced bolts 62.

I claim:

1. A railway vehicle of the flat deck type comprising a center sill of the fish-belly type including an intermediate portion, end portions of substantially lesser depth than said intermediate portions and transitional portions connecting said end portions to said intermediate portions, said center sill being of substantially box section including transversely spaced side webs, a top cover plate fixed to the upper ends of said side webs, a bottom cover plate fixed to the lower ends of said side webs and being of greater width than the transverse spacing between said side webs providing a ledge on each side of said side webs, a plurality of crossbearers of substantially identical construction each fixed to said center sill at substantially uniformly spaced relationship from one another, said center sill side webs connecting with the crossbearers and extending the height of the intermediate section crossbearers and also extending below the intermediate section crossbearers, stabilizer plate means being fixed to each of said crossbearers located in said intermediate section, and said stabilizer plate means being disposed adjacent respective ones of said side webs, said stabilizer plate means including a pair of vertical webs each being fixed along its side edge to a respective side web and at its upper end to the underside of a respective one of said intermediate section crossbearers and at its lower end to a respective outer end portion of said bottom cover plate.

2. The invention as defined in claim 1 wherein the height of each of said crossbearers is less than the height of said intermediate section of said fish-belly center sill and no greater than the height of said end sections.

3. The invention according to claim 1, and said crossbearers each having an upper support surface substantially coplanar with said top cover plate, side sills fixed to said crossbearers, and floor plate means fixed to said side sills and supported directly on said support surfaces of said crossbearers and on said top cover plate.

4. The invention according to claim 1, and a vertical leg extending longitudinally from the other end ofeach vertical web.

5. The invention according to claim 1, and side sills being fixed to said crossbearers, said side sills each being provided with a longitudinally extending laterally inwardly sloped lading support member mounted with the floor, each support member having a longitudinally extending transverse inwardly and downwardly extending surface connecting with the floor and substantially spaced apart from the other and supporting a load between each slope surface and the floor. 

